On April 10, Jeff Taylor, Kim Matthews, and Allie Sears attended an open house and Service of Dedication of the Hope Center in Sophia, West Virginia. The Hope Center is a ministry of Hope in the Mountains, Inc., a community-based project whose mission is to be an outreach for Jesus Christ in communities where there is need, offering a connection to Christ by offering an environment of hope and practical ways to improve lives.
Hope in the Mountains, Inc. sought a grant from the United Methodist Foundation of West Virginia, Inc., to provide funding for the purchase of a former medical clinic located near the Sophia United Methodist Church. The Foundation awarded the grant resulting in the coming to fruition of The Hope Center.
The Hope Center provides a community gathering space. It has been remodeled to include multipurpose classrooms for individual and group trainings, support networks, and a safe place for the community to gather. The Center has a children’s corner, a room for quiet prayer and meditation, an internet cafe, computer training room, and a reading and sewing room.
The Hope Center began through the realization of a great need in the surrounding communities for the simple necessities in life most of us enjoy and take for granted—such as the guarantee of permanent housing, steady employment, the opportunity to learn new and practical life skills and improve their life situation. By joining together, the Hope Center aims to meet those needs: providing hope in the mountains.
David Rumberg, Chair of the Board of Hope in the Mountains, Inc. and pastor of Sophia United Methodist Church, said
I wanted you to know how blessed we felt when the Foundation decided to take a chance on our new ministry. We were able to share the news with others and this led to some of our early fundraising successes. In a short period of time, we had almost half of the amount needed to purchase the building, and the Foundation was instrumental in that. When I look at how quickly everything came together it is obvious that the Lord wants this community center to be open for the people of Sophia and the Winding Gulf area.
At the service dedicating the Hope Center, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball invoked the words of Nehemiah to those who mocked him for working to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. “The God of heaven will give us success! As God’s servants, we will start building.”
The Foundation is grateful for God’s servants in Sophia, and thankful to be able to participate with them in rebuilding the community. The God of heaven will give us success!